PUBLIC FORUM : LEAGUE, ITS OWNERS SHOULD BE THE ONES TO FOOT BILL FOR TEAM.I see that City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas Mark Ridley-Thomas (born 1954) is currently a California State Senate where he chairs the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee]]. He represents the 26th district which includes the communities of Vermont Knolls, Jefferson Park, Leimert Park, Hancock Park, Korean and the rest of the council clowns are now trying an end run in their attempt to get the citizens to foot the bill to get an NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga expansion team back to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The owners and the NFL, who are already ridiculously wealthy by any standards, should be the ones to put out the money, since they can well afford it. I can assure you they wouldn't be pushing for it unless they were sure that they would be making lots of money, what with television and corporate sponsorships and the tax write-offs. And face it: We have already been burned twice by the NFL. Incidentally, have you noticed the empty stands on television, when the camera man is rather careless and happens to allow it to be seen? I have. You want to be a sucker and try for a third time? The council is scared to death to let it go to a public vote. The only difference in this whole scenario is that the City Council clowns are now trying a sneaky back-door approach to get their way. They now call it ``tax-increment financing,'' and claim that the citizens of Los Angeles would not be stuck with the bill. In my opinion there should be an immediate recall campaign to throw out every one of those incompetents on the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. who are trying to
pull this garbage off without giving the voters a chance to decide for
themselves.
- Graydon Wayne Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Public money has always been on the table in the negotiations between Los Angeles and the NFL, or should I say under the table. Those with special interests in having the NFL put a team in L.A. will not hesitate in using public funds See Fund, 3. See also: Public to achieve their ends. It's a very familiar scenario. - L.A. Calabro Northridge We may have a new sports venue opening soon, I neither wanted it nor can I afford to attend an event even if I wanted to. Now the City Council members, with their highly paid jobs, are once again thumbing their noses at the public. I do not want the Coliseum rebuilt to entice a football team to Los Angeles. I could not afford to attend an event if it were to come to pass. The sporting world has priced itself out of the average person's reach. With the high salaries of the sports figures and the greed of the owners and the usual boondoggle boon·dog·gle Informal n. 1. An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity. 2. a. A braided leather cord worn as a decoration especially by Boy Scouts. b. of building anything in Los Angeles, the cost to attend an event is too dear for the average family. It used to be that we could take our kids to a Dodgers game and buy a hot dog or two, but not anymore. Yet somebody keeps taking my tax dollar to support these endeavors. If you are going to take my tax money, do not spend it on a Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. , a Coliseum for an NFL team that we don't have, a Belmont Learning Center This Belmont Learning Center contains information about a building currently under construction. It may contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically as construction progresses and new information becomes available. that may never teach, and certainly not another pay raise for the already overpaid o·ver·pay v. o·ver·paid , o·ver·pay·ing, o·ver·pays v.tr. 1. To pay (a party) too much. 2. To pay an amount in excess of (a sum due). v.intr. To pay too much. City Council. Take my money and put more police on the street. Use it for street repair. There are too many things that my tax dollar could do and be of use to the entire city of Los Angeles
- J.J. Moore Sylmar Let the people decide. I would be in favor of using tax dollars to help the NFL when tax dollars are used to help someone open a restaurant, a hot dog stand A hot dog stand is a food business stand that sells hot dogs, usually from an external counter on a public thoroughfare such as a road, street, mall or food court. , a hardware store, whatever. It is an outrage that these billionaires would even try to squeeze the taxpayers. The Los Angeles City Council members who voted to prevent the people from deciding this issue should be ashamed. - Vivian Cooper Encino I do not think our tax dollars should buy a football team for Los Angeles. We do not need a football team to make us a first-class city. We are a first-class city and we need these tax dollars to rebuild our city infrastructure, take care of our senior citizens, maintain our police force and do the many things our tax dollars are supposed to do. I do not need my tax dollars assisting millionaires to become billionaires. San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. and Cincinnati citizens are complaining about the rise in taxes due to their football teams. I wish to vote on any use of my tax dollars for a football team. Since our political leaders squandered squan·der tr.v. squan·dered, squan·der·ing, squan·ders 1. To spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate. See Synonyms at waste. 2. my tax dollars for so long, I can not trust them to make the right decision. If the majority of the citizens want a football team then I will go along with them. If a football team wants to come here then it may do so, but it must pay its own way. Six million dollars for a franchise, before building a stadium and parking structure, is ludicrous. No matter what Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas says, all the citizens of Los Angeles will eventually pay for the team. But, councilman, if you want us to pay for a team, then we should own the team like Green Bay, Wis., does. The Green Bay Packers make money for the city of Green Bay, not the other way around. Become a businessman, councilman, and stop trying to boondoggle us. - Gilbert Smith Encino Now let me get this right: Our leaders are asking us hard-working taxpayers to finance a bunch of millionaire businessmen and millionaire players just so we can say that we have a Los Angeles football team. Get real I and everyone I know not only don't want a team here, but wish they would stop showing the games on television. The answer from this quarter is no! - Louis W. Radosevich Granada Hills Please let it be known far and wide that I, a qualified taxpayer, and sane of mind, am unutterably opposed to the very notion that one cent of my taxes should be misused for the financial benefit of multimillionaire mul·ti·mil·lion·aire n. One whose financial assets are worth several million dollars. multimillionaire Noun a person who has money or property worth several million pounds, dollars, etc. promoters of football and their insidious seduction of politicians. I tenaciously hold this conviction, notwithstanding the gentlemen's promises of big-time help for the unwashed public (they don't actually use that phrase). But they do promote a self-serving enterprise as being a gladsome thing for our ``community.'' Well, there are ``suckers born every minute.'' However, at least in this case, I'm not one of them. - Peter Kirby Peter Kirby (born December 17, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec) was a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the mid-1960s. He won a gold medal in the four-man event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. Granada Hills Re Tax money used as bribe to bring an NFL team to L.A: Years ago I voted against giving Chavez Ravine to Walter O'Malley Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. and his Brooklyn Dodgers. It was wrong then to confiscate To expropriate private property for public use without compensating the owner under the authority of the Police Power of the government. To seize property. When property is confiscated it is transferred from private to public use, usually for reasons such as private property and give it to O'Malley and it is wrong today to give tax money to any billionaire owner of a private enterprise, i.e., a football team. At least the people of Los Angeles were given the opportunity to vote on the gift to O'Malley at the time. Today, the people of Los Angeles are more sophisticated and would be less inclined to bankroll bank·roll n. 1. A roll of paper money. 2. Informal One's ready cash. tr.v. bank·rolled, bank·roll·ing, bank·rolls Informal some fat cat and his overpaid and pampered pam·per tr.v. pam·pered, pam·per·ing, pam·pers 1. To treat with excessive indulgence: pampered their child. 2. football players. This is the reason that the City Council doesn't want any interference from the public in its effort to avoid a public vote on how tax dollars are spent. It seems that Councilman Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management is the only man that has the will and determination to protect tax money from the vultures. - Bill L. Burgess Arleta Re Public Forum on Coliseum tax vote: Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs, the guardian of the public's interest, has it exactly right. Enough said. - Philip W. Wilt Van Nuys Why the imbalance? On Aug. 28, the Daily News published 14 letters on the Public Forum topic of gun control and 12 of them were anti-gun control. Why the imbalance? Is the individual who selects the letters for the Public Forum on the NRA NRA (National Rifle Association of America) organization that encourages sharpshooting and use of firearms for hunting. [Am. Pop. Culture: NCE, 1895] See : Hunting payroll? I live two miles from the Fairplex, and I sincerely hope the gun shows are closed for good. They are veritable supermarkets for the mentally imbalanced and the criminal element. The bank robbers of North Hollywood who terrorized Valley residents bought virtually all of their weaponry at gun shows. It is not uncommon for 25 percent to 50 percent of gun sellers at these places to be unlicensed and it ought to be illegal to sell guns without a license. Most Californians heartily support the recent action taken by legislators and the leadership provided by Gov. Gray Davis, Sheriff Lee Baca and Police Chief Bernard C. Parks Bernard Parks (born December 7, 1943 in Beaumont, Texas) is a member of the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. Parks attended Los Angeles City College, received his B.S. on behalf of sanity regarding the purchase and ownership of firearms. - Stephen D. Anderson La Verne Editor's note: The Daily News prints Public Forum letters proportionate to the points of view expressed by our readers. In this case, the letters were overwhelmingly anti-gun control. Dentists take a holiday Over the Labor Day weekend my wife had the misfortune of having a really bad toothache Toothache Definition A toothache is any pain or soreness within or around a tooth, indicating inflammation and possible infection. Description A toothache may feel like a sharp pain or a dull ache. . In fact the side of her face looked like she had a golf ball in her mouth. On Sept. 5, I called our dentist's office and of course got the answering service and talked with an operator who was very rude, refused to call our dentist at home or page him and leave a message. She said they do not bother dentists on a holiday weekend, that I should take my wife to the emergency room at the hospital. I then called every dental office which offered emergency service 24 hours a day and seven days a week in the West Valley and could get no answer. However, if a pet needs attention, you can get help from a veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. at an emergency animal hospital. Then on Sept. 6, I called the answering service, spoke to an operator who was human and she called and left a message with our dentist and within 20 minutes, he called us. I took my wife in the next morning. While we were in the office there were two other patients that had the same complaint. How do you get hold of a dentist on a holiday weekend? - Warren Webb West Hills Senior lead officers Re ``Survey backs police chief's restructuring'' (Daily News, Sept. 1): The survey your article refers to was conducted by Cheryl Maxson of the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission and was funded by the National Institute of Justice. To clarify a few things: This report was initially presented on July 12 to the Public Safety Committee - see ``Panel wants answers on policing plan'' (Daily News, July 13). The results reported were clearly in favor of the community and its quest to keep senior lead officers as the key liaison between the community and the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . The report stressed the
importance of an identifiable face - thus referring to the familiarity
and continuity that senior leads have delivered to the community. At no
time was there a comment made or even the perception implied that
Maxson's report supported Chief Parks' restructuring of
community policing. It was evident to everyone there that he has tried
to broaden community policing right into oblivion.
No amount of redistribution of statistics or manipulation of surveys will change the truth. - Joyce Roberts Valley Village The fossil record The author of ``Assault on Education'' (Opinions, Aug. 29) portrays creationists as being ``nonrational.'' There exists a notion that those who believe in the Genesis account of creation are illogical and out of touch with reality. It should be noted that Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (də vĭn`chē, Ital. lāōnär`dō dä vēn`chē), 1452–1519, Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist, b. near Vinci, a hill village in Tuscany. , Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur and many others have advanced science while believing that God created the universe that they studied. The Kansas State Board of Education Kansas State Board of Education is Kansas' Board of Education. The board is a constitutional body established in Article 6 of the Kansas Constitution. The ten members of the Board of Education are each elected to four-year terms. has not removed the theory of evolution from its standards, only the requirement for testing. Evolution is still very much emphasized, while religious explanations of origins are relegated to be outside the realm of science. Students should be exposed to the facts of evolution. The fossil record, for example, far from displaying evidence of continuous change across all species, is actually void of this information. This has led to the development of theories proposing that new species arrived suddenly, such as a dinosaur giving birth to a bird. This is far different from the gradual changes that Darwin envisioned. The sudden appearance of species, however, does not contradict biblical teaching. - Alan Cervenka West Hills Vouchers for the poor Re LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) and vouchers: Once again I commend the Daily News for doing a great job of keeping us informed as to the antics of our totally dysfunctional school district. Public education has been sinking deeper and deeper into failure due in large part to the National Education Association and its political agenda. The NEA NEA abbr. 1. National Education Association 2. National Endowment for the Arts NEA (US) n abbr (= National Education Association) → Verband für das Erziehungswesen is spending millions of taxpayer dollars to spread the lie that school vouchers would be putting tax money into church-sponsored schools, thereby violating the separation of church and state
The truth is that vouchers would give parents the choice of how and where to educate their children. Vouchers would force public education to compete with private schools for the taxpayer dollar. Those who can afford it are using private school and home schooling. The problem is that those who cannot afford these options are left with no choice at all. So, who is truly discriminating against the poor - the voucher advocates or the NEA? - Vicki Van Camp Sylmar Van Nuys needs help No wonder the Valley is the dreaded place to live Where are the police, where are the city officials? I have a condo on Lennox Avenue, which used to be not too bad a street to live on. Within the last three months Lennox Avenue, in the 7000 block, has become a war zone for graffiti. Gang-looking individuals hanging out on the corner of Vose and Lennox and graffiti everywhere. I was in escrow on my condo up until the potential buyer drove down the block and was finally hit with the decay of this once nice area. Someone needs to do something about the demise of Van Nuys! - Joyce Batters Van Nuys |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion